Joint Health - How To Ensure It?

The bones and joints in your body provide the basic framework on which all movement takes place. The joints are even more important as they act like a hinge for the various types of movement that we require. However, these are the first to be affected due to muscle or bone disorders and thus limit your mobility. In most cases, these problems are caused by lifestyle disorders which can be easily corrected by making a few changes.

Some tips which will allow you to keep your joints healthy are mentioned as follows:

1. Lose weight: Not just full-fledged obesity, but being overweight and also slightly chubby may not be in the best interest of your joints. The heavier you are, the more load your joints have to carry and thus, this may affect their health over time. Losing weight and being close to your ideal body weight will allow your joints to be under less stress thus keeping them healthy for longer.

2. Start moving and stay in motion: One of the greatest evils of the modern lifestyle is its sedentary nature. While at work or at home, you probably spend far less time moving or walking than sitting or lying down. It is important to move and keep the joints functional. The more functional they are, the stronger they will be.

3. Vitamin D for your bones: All joints in your body are made up of bones; and for healthy joints, you need healthy bones. Vitamin D and calcium are thus important ingredients required to make your bones strong. Dairy products such as milk or leafy green vegetables can easily satisfy your requirements. However, if you can’t have dairy, then your doctor could prescribe calcium supplements to you.

4. Don’t overwork or strain your joints: While it is necessary to stay in motion to ensure that your joints remain strong, overusing those joints could damage them. It is important to know your limits and also slowly push and improve on yourself rather than trying to make quick leaps. Start off with lower impact exercises such as cycling, walking or swimming and gradually go to more intense workouts when your joints are stronger.

5. Always warm up: Before you do any kind of exercise, warm up slowly so that your joints are loose enough and lubricated to take the strain you put on them; no matter how light the exercises are. Stretching and warm up exercises are a must as they help you minimize long term damage to your joints.

6. Diet: Diet is one of the most important aspects for overall health and hence it is very important in the case of joints as well. Certain types of food items rich in Omega-3 fatty acids are very good for your joints as they help reduce inflammation, such as some varieties of fish. On the other hand, certain types of food can cause inflammation and may even lead to long term problems.